Written by Paul J Bucknell on June, 06, 2026

The Book of Joel,
 Study 4: Joel 2:1-11 Bible Study Questions

This commentary gathers the early warnings of Joel into a sober theological lens: smaller judgments and societal crises point toward the greater Day of the Lord. Calamities are not to be treated as random events or occasions for pride, but as urgent warnings that should drive people to examine sin, humble themselves, and return to God. The reflection contrasts biblical truth with worldly assumptions, reminding readers that final judgment is real, personal, just, and approaching. The right response is not denial but repentance.

Book of Joel: Importance of Joel

Study Questions: Intro1-Purpose | Intro2-Design | 1:1-20 | 2:1-11 | 2:12-17 | 2:18-27 | 2:28-32 | 3:1-21

Commentary and Reflections: 1🔢11 | 2:12-27 | 2:28-32 | 3:1-21

 

Joel 2:1-11 Bible Study Questions

1. Read Joel 2:1-11 aloud with emphasis and write down all the commands to the recipients.
    
2. Has the Day of the Lord arrived or is it yet to come? See 1:15, 2:1. Defend your answer.
    
3. Find all the places the phrase “Day of the Lord” is used in Joel.
    
4. What is the problem identified in 1:13? 
   
   What about in 1:16-20?
    
5. Are we supposed to believe that droughts and famines are connected to God’s actions? Read 2 Chronicles 6:26-31. What did Solomon believe about the issue of droughts and famines?
    
6. Have you ever gone through a fire, famine, or drought? Think about your experiences. How did they impact the overall functioning of society?
    
7. When is an alarm usually sounded? Why is the alarm trumpet sounded in 2:1? Do you think our society needs an alarm to be sounded now? Why or why not?
    
8. Joel 2:2-11 provides a detailed description of the Day of the Lord. (1:15-20 offers a shorter but similar account). What danger is being described in these verses? Write down at least four phrases from this section that support your answer.
   
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9. Based on what we’ve read and verse 2:11, would you say that the Day of the Lord generally signifies judgment or is it used as the conclusion of a series of judgments leading to complete Desolation? Sometimes we wonder if God works with Israel as a nation separate from other nations, including our own. Is that true or not? What does Peter say in 1 Peter 4:17?
10. Is the Day of the Lord also a New Testament idea? Can you identify where the term is used or referenced? Look at these verses and notice what similarities or differences you observe. 

• 1 Corinthians 5:5
• 1 Thessalonians 5:2
• 2 Thessalonians 2:2
• 2 Peter 3:10

Summary

The day of the Lord, then, is when God passes judgment on any society. More specifically, the term “Day of the Lord” refers to the end of the world when God delivers His full judgment to all humanity. Consider:

1.  Are you prepared for that day? Explain how your faith in Jesus can save you.
    
2.  What role do you play in warning and preparing others for this great day?
    
3.  Modern skeptics challenge the message of those who speak about hell. They see it as an offensive four-letter word. How does the idea of hell connect to judgment (i.e., The Day of the Lord)? 
    
4.  Does the New Testament give us an obligation or example to speak clearly of the judgment or hell? Can we speak of one rather than the other?
    
5. Write down the most important lesson from this study for you and pray about it.

Joel 2:1-11 KJV

2 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

² A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

³ A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

⁴ The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.

⁵ Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

⁶ Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

⁷ They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

⁸ Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

⁹ They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

¹⁰ The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

¹¹ And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?